Carolina may be without three of its top five scorers in today's game against Virginia Tech.

Point guard Ty Lawson will not play against the Hokies due to his sprained left ankle, an injury he suffered on Feb. 3 against Florida State. Lawson did not play the final 36 minutes of the game in Tallahassee and was unable to play against Duke, Clemson and Virginia.

Sophomore power forward Deon Thompson, who has started all 25 games and is averaging 9.4 points a game, hyper-extended his left knee at Virginia and is questionable for Saturday's game. He was unable to practice Thursday, but was scheduled to practice on a limited basis Friday.

On the heels of the just completed Africa Cup (Egypt beat Cameroon 1-0 in the final), the scam artists are hard at work via email. So you know, all over Africa they are passionate about soccer and all the related pomp and circumstance as you can see from the photos. So what happens next really comes as no surprise.

Everyone has received the email from the folks in Africa who have some huge sum of money post revolution or after their great grandfather, the benevolent Dictator, passes on to his final reward. Ultimately, they want you to help them “invest” all that scooch here in the good old U.S. of A.

We got a beauty the other day from a Mr. William Muyeke at the Desk of Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Finance of the South African World Cup bid (evidently the actual bid wasn’t important enough to justify a great big ole capital letter) 2010.

Muyeke at the Desk of Chairman addressed TAH as “sir,” which, to quote Bill Murray, is nice.

So, Muyeke at the Desk of Chairman tells us South Africa won the bid for the 2010 World Cup and they did it on the cheap. Evidently, according to Muyeke Desk of Chairman, it only set them back $8 million and they had raised $29 million to payoff the World Cup big shots. Cha-ching, baby!

After a little this-and-that about what an incredible boom said World Cup will be to the economy of South Africa, Muyeke Desk of Chairman proceeds to lift-off into the following sentence, and we quote:

“With the help the living legend of our time 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr.Nelson Mandela who made an emotive case for The Republic of South Africa, we got the bid without spending all the money, I and my committee members saw this as a God sent opportunity to secure our future and that of our family therefore was mandated by other committee members to look for a way to move the remaining money to a safe place with the help of a foreigner who we can trust and is ready to assist us to move the funds considering the fact that we are still members of the bid committee and in the eyes of the public.”

It would appear that Muyeke Desk of Chairman has never heard of a run-on sentence, and that down in South Africa, TAH means trustworthy foreigner. Man, that equator really buggers up the works.

Of course, they have $21 million to invest and they want to give TAH 20% for helping them out, but that’s not the point.

We just wanted to share that sentence with you simply because we had never seen anything quite like it in all our long years of writing sentences and reading them since we were small childrens which lived in various states around the one nation under God with liberty and justice for all which achieved freedom from the overbearing English lords back in the…oh, never mind, we can’t run (-on) with Muyeke Desk of Chairman.

There has been a bunch of internet buzz about Dick Vitale’s loyalty. It started out with Mr. Irrelevant (Maryland and Redskin fan) posting a shot of Vitale’s grand kids all decked out in Duke jersey’s at a game.

This, of course, started the typical howls about Dukie V. etc.

The Duke contingent weighed in pointing out that Vitale’s grandkids always wear the jersey of the home team. That would seem like a smart move in such an environment.

Then another picture surfaced later in the week of Vitale with a grandchild at the Duke v. Virginia Tech. Problem is the game was at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

Of course, we asked is that really a Vitale or just some random kid in a Duke jersey getting a little love from Dickie V.

Friday, February 15, 2008

UPDATE: Police say NIU gunman Steve Kazmierczak had stopped taking his medication recently and had "become erratic." The DeKalb County coroner says five students, not six, were killed in the shooting rampage in which Kazmierczak took his own life.

Kazmierczak was not a current student at the school 65 miles west of downtown Chicago, authorities said. NIU President John G. Peters earlier had said the man had been enrolled as a sociology graduate student at NIU but left school last spring.

There are no words for what happened at Northern Illinois beyond tragic and senseless.

There isn’t much any of us can do but send out thoughts and prayers out to the victims.

We don’t know much about Northern Illinios other than an occasional foray into the NCAA tournament. We do love their nickname’s nickname which was coined by Dr. R.F. Hokie: The Shivering Illini. That said, we know it’s a pretty big school – 25,000 students – ‘cause that’s the kind of stuff we know.

God bless ‘em.

Having said that, there is one other thing we can do and it's something we do well: Jump to conclusions.

While the identity of the gunman has yet to be released, the similarities between what happened here and the April shooting at Tech are disturbing for us conclusion jumpers.

Now for the jumping part – Apparently, and unfortunately, like the Arab and Muslim cultures, we are developing a sub-set of people who will die to make a point. In our case, it isn’t religious jihad, but severe mental health problems, and how young adults react to peer pressure and the overall stress of their modern world. Our jumped to conclusion is that this kid didn’t just wake up one day with a clean bill of health and decide to don all black and start shooting people.

When 911 crashed into our world, we lost a few civil liberties for the greater safety of all of us. (We know, there are still huge holes in our safety net, but you get the point). Now, if the NIU gunman has a similar psychological profile and history as the VT shooter, it may be time to look at mental health treatment, and the related privacy issues.

Civil liberties and privacy advocatess will hate such a concept, but their kid probably didn’t get shot. As you may recall with the VT situation, there were warning signs, but health care officials were powerless to do much. Is that what happened here (again)?

Nobody at TAH is advocating that the Feds get more involved in anything, but before we have to have metal detectors on every door of every classroom, we better think about (politically correct alert) “profiling” the persona that shoots college kids to make some sad, twisted point and/or to conclude a tortured (self-inflicted or otherwise) life.

We shouldn’t endanger other kids because their peers with identified mental health issues slip through the cracks of the treatment process primarily due to privacy issues. Something Congress might think about when they aren't conducting a baseball circus.

Cliff Hammonds scored 22 points, shooting 4-of-6 on 3-pointers, to lead Clemson to a 82-67 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night at Littlejohn Colliseum.

The Tigers (18-6, 6-4 ACC) scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed as they moved into a tie for third place in the conference improving their chances to make their first NCAA tournament since 1998.

The Yellow Jackets (11-12, 4-5) made just 2-of-15 3-pointers and had their three-game road ACC winning streak broken.

J.J. “I Thought I Told You Not To Call Me A” Hickson paced the Wolfpack (15-9, 4-6) with 20 points and seven rebounds. Gavin “Ulysses S. Only Had Four Losses” Grant had 15 points and Brandon “Tin Cup” Costner 14.

Javier "Speedy" Gonzalez #10 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack grabs the loose ball before John "Hall and" Oates #32 and Tyrese "Minute" Rice #4 of the Boston College Eagles on February 14, 2008 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

One thing is for sure, he’d carry LA -- Lower Alabama, or Louisiana (LA) as some folks we know like to call Cajun country. We suspect he’d rack up some votes in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, NC as well.

Paul will be playing in his first NBA All-Star game now that the whole country has caught up on his skills. The product of Wake Forest is averaging 20 points, 10 assists and 3 steals while lifting the New Orleans Hornets (36-15) to the best record in the always tough Western Conference.

According to the Washington Post, "Between him and [Steve] Nash, I think they are the best two point guards in the league," Memphis Coach Marc Iavaroni said. "He's got the right people around him, he's making great decisions. He's a great leader."

Evidently, Paul is not just a leader on the floor. Paul is serving as the de facto host of this year’s All-Star game and related festivities. Reggie Bush wait at the bar. While Bush made a big splash in post-Katrina New Orleans, Paul too has been a stalwart of community service and good will.

While some might questions Bush’s motives as an attempt to foster good will to offset various off-field controversies, Paul’s efforts on behalf of this adopted home town seemingly come straight from a good heart.

Through his various efforts Paul has become the face of the Hornets' relief efforts in N.O. He is currently featured in a commercial with NBA legend Karl Malone for the Louisiana Office of Tourism, promoting tourism in the Crescent City.

While rebuilding homes and donating pairs of his soon-to-be released signature shoe, the CP3, to an area high school basketball team, Paul and Miami Heat all-star guard Dwyane Wade spent $10,000 to open a family resource center at Sylvanie F. Williams Elementary School.

The center is meant to give parents a place to take an active role in their children's education.Again, according to the Washington Post's Michael Lee:

"It's not something I do for notoriety," Paul said. "It's because I want to, most of all. Giving back here is always a nonstop thing. It's not just giving [money]."

On the day Paul and Wade opened the center last month, not all of the children were Hornets fans. "You're going to get beat tonight," fifth-grader Israel Syprian, 11, told Paul. "Miami gon' beat you."

Paul laughed and told Syprian to watch the game. The Hornets drilled the Heat, 114-88, and Paul returned to the school the next week and sought out Syprian.

"When we beat the life out of the Heat. . . . he didn't say too much," Paul said with a laugh.

Paul sat and talked with Syprian for several minutes about school and life.

The short encounter left an impression.

Syprian's mother, Tamsin, recently called the Hornets' vice president for community affairs, Steve Martin, to tell him that her son has been more focused in school receiving better grades ever since he met Paul.

Of course, all of that earns CP3 the TAH classic tag line, and this time it’s in a good way!

Nice, Chris Paul, NICE!

PHOTOS: Chris Paul poses for a portrait during All Star Media Availability on February 14, 2008 at the Sheraton New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images). Paul #3 of the New Orleans Hornets drives for a shot attempt against Joakim “Knucklehead/Knucklehair” Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on February 12, 2008. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images). Another shot of Paul at All Star Media Availability doing what he does. (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images).

Florida State University officials Thursday proposed a series of penalties, including scholarship reductions in several sports, because of academic misconduct.

Officials looking into alleged academic fraud at Florida State recommended two years of probation and loss of scholarships proportional to the various sports' involvement with the incident, the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat reported.

A breakdown of sports involved wasn't available but 25 football players have been given game suspensions in relation to the investigation.

Florida State President T.K. Wetherell said the results of the internal investigation would be sent to the NCAA, which was expected to carry out its own probe which could result in additional penalties.

The school's investigation began last March when a student-athlete reported to officials that a "learning specialist" told him to take an online test for another athlete and then provided answers for the test.

The report Thursday said 50 student-athletes were found to be involved.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel said the school's report suggested the firing of the learning specialist and a tutor and personnel changes in the athletics department's academic support department.

Randy Spetman, 55, the Utah State athletic director and a former Air Force colonel who spent a year in Germany in charge of the European Nuclear Command and Control System, is the new AD at Florida State. Nice timing, huh?

FSU President T.K. Wetherell, said, “I don't think I've seen anybody more excited to come to Florida State University since I got elected to come to Florida State University," Wetherell said. Moments earlier, Wetherell had told a story about when he called Spetman to inform him that he'd earned the job. Spetman, who replaces former FSU AD Dave Hart, nearly cried, Wetherell said.

There were no tears on Monday. Just cheers. When Spetman rose from his chair and walked behind the podium, he turned to Wetherell and said, "I can guarantee you, sir, I won't disappoint you."

Spetman, the AD at Utah State since 2004, first became an athletic director in 1995 at Air Force, his alma mater. Before then, he had control over nuclear weapons and was on call to take orders from the U.S. president.

"He's been at Air Force Academy, been at Utah State, worked for the president of the United States . . . He'll probably handle me OK," Wetherell said.

Kyle Singler scored a season-high 26 points and sparked the decisive run that helped the #2 Blue Devils withstand Maryland’s comeback attempt and beat the Terrapins 77-65 on Wednesday night for their 12th straight win.

Duke’s top rookie also established career highs with 10 field goals and six 3s, reaching 20 points for the fourth time this season and taking 17 shots while showing none of the hesitation that occasionally plagues freshmen as they adjust to the pace of Division I.

Greg Paulus added 20 points for the Blue Devils (22-1, 10-0 ACC), who blew most of a 16-point lead but used a late 11-2 run to snap Maryland’s four-game winning streak and claim a victory in a matchup of the league’s hottest teams.

Vasquez scored 25 points to lead the Terrapins (16-9, 6-4), who were denied a second victory on Tobacco Road this season. The Terps also were swept by Duke in the regular season for the first time since 2005-06, after Maryland won both of last season’s matchups.

James Gist—who averaged 22 points over the last six games—was held to nine on 3-of-11 shooting, although he did have 10 rebounds.

Kyle Singler #12 of the Duke Blue Devils lays in a basket against Landon Milbourne #1 and Dave Neal #35 of the Maryland Terrapins during the second half. Greivis Vasquez #21 of the Maryland Terrapins draws a foul from Nolan Smith #2 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half. (Photos by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The folks at East Coast Bias have been casting an eye towards fashion...Here is their top-five list of coaching clothes do’s and don’t’s…

“The following is a pictorial catalog of the lengths to which coaches will go to ingratiate themselves with their boosters. This countdown goes from least offensive to most offensive, and I do not even pretend that this is a comprehensive listing. If you thought Maryland's gold uniforms were bad, wait til you get to the bottom of this list.”

Tony Romo and Bridget Moynahan - If you think the paparazzi likes the Cowboys QB with Jessica Simpson, imagine the tizzy a Brady Baby Mama coupling would trigger.

Terrell Owens (T.O.) and Serena Williams - What happens when you pair up two outspoken athletes who each have an overflow of self-love? Inquiring minds want to know.

Maria Sharapova and Yao Ming - This one’s only fun if they procreate. We want to see how tall their kids would be.

Roger Federer and Paris Hilton - One of the classiest tennis players ever and one of the flakiest blondes ever. Either we’ll see her sitting with refinement in a Wimbledon box seat or we’ll see him dancing on tables at Pure. Either way, we want to see it.

A record-setting night by Brittany Cook and the clutch play of Utahya Drye led Virginia Tech to a thrilling 81-73 overtime victory over Miami earlier this week. Tech improved to 14-11, 1-9, while Miami falls to 9-15, 2-7.

The victory was a game of firsts as the Hokies won their first ACC game of the year, their first road win of the season and picked up their first-ever victory at Miami.

Cook (r-Jr., Narrow, Va.) tallied 36 points, including 27 points in the second half and overtime, breaking the Virginia Tech record for most points in a game set by Renee Dennis' 34-point effort against Memphis State on Feb. 7, 1987.

DID TAH MAKE THE CALL, OR WHAT? Uno, a 15-inch beagle, winner of Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show eats steak as his handler Aaron Wilkerson looks on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 in New York.

Roger Clemens (R), Charlie Scheeler, investigator on former Sen. George Mitchell's staff (C) and former Major League Baseball strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee (L) raise their right hands as they are sworn in to testify about allegations of steroid use before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Clemens, fighting to preserve his All-Star reputation, came under intense and skeptical grilling from lawmakers at a congressional hearing Wednesday, as he stoutly denied doping allegations in spite of claims to the contrary from McNamee and Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte among others.

BECAUSE RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN…That’s why. And, because the guy on the floor speed-feeding the underhanded shooting Barry the ball needs a job too...

Former NBA player Rick Barry sets the Guinness World Record for Most Underhanded Free Throws made in one minute with 24 on center court during NBA Jam Session Presented by Adidas on February 13, 2008 at the Ernest N. Morial convention center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

THERE'S A REASON THEY CALL IT A "PIPE"...Tatlor Seaton of USA practices during the Men Half Pipe official training day of 2008 Freestyle FIS World Cup In Inawashiro on February 14, 2008 in Inawashiro, Fukushima, Japan.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Tyler Hansbrough scored 23 points, including a critical baby hook (“Shotput-jump-hook- Hansbrough Special” according to Roy Williams), over Laurynas Mikalauskas with 21 seconds to play Tuesday night, and the Tar Heels once again survived a surprising challenge before holding on in a 75-74 victory over Virginia.

The Tar Heels (23-2, 8-2 ACC), coming off a double overtime victory against Clemson on Sunday, got all they could handle from the Wahoos, who had lost nine of 10 but played nothing like a team in a hopeless free fall.

The Cavs had four opportunities late to tie before Hansbrough made it a five point game to avoid any end game Hoo heroics.

Virginia (11-12, 1-9), trying to avoid its first 1-9 start in the league since the 1976-77 season, came up short, but not without its best showing in almost a month.Wayne Ellington added 19 points and Deon Thompson 12 for North Carolina.

Sean Singletary scored 27 points to lead the Cavaliers, but several other players made big plays—an element that has been sorely lacking during the big skid. Singletary has now scored in double figures in 45 straight games.

Carolina shot 52% while UVA shot just 37%. UNC was 6-16 from behind the arc (37%) while the Hoos were 9 for 31 (29%). Carolina out rebounded the Cavs 40 to 33, but spotted them ten turnovers (17-7). In an unusual turn, the Heels only made 7 of 12 free throws (58%), while Virginia knocked down 9 of 11 (82%).

Marcus Ginyard who was thought to be out for the game with a sprained ankle played 35 minutes.

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough shoots over Virginia defenders during the second half and North Carolina's Marcus Ginyard, left, watches as Virginia's Sean Singletary grabs a rebound during the first half. (AP Photos/Andrew Shurtleff)

Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg is being mentioned by Louisiana newspapers as a potential candidate for LSU's coaching vacancy, but Greenberg says he has not been contacted by LSU.

WHAT GREENBERG SAID: "I have had no communication with LSU, nor do I expect to. Any time you're mentioned [for a job], its flattering. I am going to be back at Tech. I have no desire to leave Virginia Tech. I'm very happy with Virginia Tech."

WHAT HE MEANT: “I love cajun food, and I’ll be calling a press conference within the week to inform you that I’ve tripled my salary as the new head coach of the LSU Tigers. Go SEC!”

LSU fired coach John Brady last Friday. Gannett newspapers in Louisiana listed Greenberg as a possible candidate. The Baton Rouge Advocate included him on a list of potential candidates as well.

Tech announced last month that it had awarded Greenberg a new contract that lasts through the 2012-13 season. If Greenberg were to leave for another coaching job at any point during that time, he would owe Tech his base salary for all the years of the remainder of the contract. His base salary this season is $192,070.

Greenberg has been well thought of in Louisiana since 2005, when he organized a national online auction to benefit Hurricane Katriana victims.

As first reported by Inside Carolina on Sunday night, North Carolina defensive coordinator/defensive backs Chuck Pagano has decided to leave UNC after one season to take an assistant coaching job with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. A UNC official confirmed the report to IC on Monday morning.

WHAT BUTCH DAVIS SAID: "I appreciate everything Chuck did to help us improve our defense last season. He has a great opportunity to return to the NFL and I wish him the best."

WHAT BUTCH DAVIS MEANT: “A**hole. I picked him up when everybody in the bigs s%#* canned him, and he runs out on me first chance he gets. Did he go to Duke or State maybe?”

The Tar Heel defensive unit ranked 35th nationally in 2007 in total defense, including ranking 27th in the nation in pass defense. This was a stark improvement from 2006, where UNC's overall defense ranked No. 92 in the country.

The kind folk at Tar Heel Mania who published the first TAH entry outside of TAH last year (the Hansbrough about to be called for charging photo with G-Hen hammering his nose.) are up to good work again. Needless to say, we drop in for the occasional visit and we saw this item…an INSTANT CLASSIC:

It appears Duke basketball will finally be rewarded for their success with a house that they can call their own.

It was revealed this week by coach Mike Krzyzewski and President Richard Broadhead that upperclassmen from the Duke University basketball team will now live in an off-campus house to increase camaraderie and security for the players, secluded from on-campus fans.

Already dubbed “the Ultimate Duke House” by students, the house (pictured below) will have five bedrooms, where seniors will have individual bedrooms and any extra juniors will share rooms. Walk-on upperclassmen will

Here’s what some in the world of college basketball, mostly current and former Duke players, had to say about the Duke House…

Mike Krzyzewski (sic): “This is a milestone for our program. Finally, a place where I can visit, hang out informally with my players, invite recruits, have Wojo over and I don’t have to worry about the wife spy–um, I think I’ve said too much.”

Johnny Dawkins: “The inspiration for this house was the pink locker rooms at the University of Iowa. There’s some Hayden Fry reverse psychology s— goin’ on up in here.”

Gerald Henderson: You see that? You see that s—? That’s why I committed to Duke.

Josh McRoberts: You see that? You see that s—? That’s why I declared for the NBA.

If Duke beats UNC in basketball March 8, the Dookies may not be able to burn a bunch of stuff in celebration. There favorite target is usually the wooden benches scattered all over campus. (Hey, Duke dudes, don’t burn your own stuff…Jeez. You got ANY kids from Maryland or West Virginia? Ask them, they’ll show you what to do.)

The city fire marshal wants to meet with student leaders before deciding whether to issue Duke a permit for a bonfire for that night.

According to the Raleigh News & Observer: Long a campus ritual, the bonfire was not in the plans last week when Duke won in Chapel Hill. But some students fired up an illegal blaze on the main quad anyhow. Nobody was hurt, but the unsanctioned bonfire was a big no-no that left future fires in doubt.

"It's not looking good for us," said Sunny Kantha, a junior from Ohio and vice president of athletics and campus services within Duke Student Government. "If we do win, people love having the bonfire. It's one of the most memorable Duke moments."

The unsanctioned fire was no joke, said Angelica Stroud, a Fire Department spokeswoman. "With the dry wind conditions, that very easily could have gotten out of control," she said.

"Last year we were a far shot from beating UNC," Kantha said. "This year, when we can, we can't even get a bonfire."

WHERE IN THE WORLD...?

The way it is...

The way it was...

TAH DAMN GOOD CAUSE OF THE MONTH

NORTHERN HAITI HOPE FOUNDATION: After our recent trip to Haiti, we vowed to do more to help. Clean water is a critical issue for all Haitians. It's particularly problematic for those in rural areas. For $2,000 to $5,000 we can build a new well in a rural village as part of a program facilitated by the St. Barthelemy School and the Warrenton, VA Rotary. Send your donation to Wells of Health and Hope, c/o GPetty-VTA, 38 Garrett Street, Warrenton, VA 20186 and keep your eye on T.A.H. for progress reports. Thanks! CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR MORE INFO.